Dispute over endorsements leaves Griswold GOP nominees hanging

DEBORAH STRASZHEIM

Friday

Jul 31, 2009 at 12:01 AMJul 31, 2009 at 10:50 AM

The Republican-endorsed candidates in Griswold are in limbo, and time is getting short. Seven members of the Griswold Republican Town Committee have gone to the state level to dispute paperwork filed by town committee chairman Alan Aho that there are “no endorsed Republican candidates” for office in the November municipal elections.

The Republican-endorsed candidates in Griswold are in limbo, and time is getting short.

Seven members of the Griswold Republican Town Committee have gone to the state level to dispute paperwork filed by town committee chairman Alan Aho that there are “no endorsed Republican candidates” for office in the November municipal elections.

Aho, who could not be reached Thursday for comment, filed the paperwork Wednesday with the town clerk, one day after Griswold Republicans made their endorsements at a caucus. Less than two hours later, the officer who presided over the caucus the night before brought in the names of people endorsed.

“I was just appalled when we got to the Town Hall and they had done this,” said Helmut Reinholtz, one of the seven committee members who went to the state. “It was just so childish.”

State Republican Central Committee Chairman Christopher C. Healy said a five-member committee will hear the dispute and resolve it. A hearing is set for Aug. 10 at central headquarters in New Britain. The committee has 15 days after the hearing to render a decision.

In the meantime, several deadlines are coming up. Nominating petitions to get on the ballot in November are available from the Secretary of the State’s office to candidates who want to run, not as a nominee of a political party, but as a new party or no-party candidate. Those petitions must be filed by 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Town Clerk’s office.

Primary petitions must be filed to the registrars of voters by 4 p.m. Aug. 12.

Reinholtz said he believes the central committee will find in favor of the endorsed candidates. But just in case, he said they’ll start collecting 100 signatures in the next few days.

There may also be some movement to try to remove Aho and Vice Chairman Anne Hatfield from their offices in the future, Reinholtz said.

“We would be pursing that with vigor, except that it takes a two-thirds vote,” he said.

Hatfield did not respond to an e-mail asking about the possible replacement of officers.

Theresa Madonna, the endorsed candidate for first selectman, said the group is concentrating on resolving the dispute.

“Right now our eyes are focused on Aug. 10 and then we’ll see what happens,” she said.

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